Best Hand Lotion Buyer’s Guide
Hand Lotions are a matter of personal preference when it comes to choosing the right one. There are a few things to consider to help you narrow your choices down but don’t hesitate to try a few different ones to see what works for you best. You’ll also want to consider where you live as a region where temperatures dip into extreme cold or soar towards unbearable heat will make a huge difference in your skin’s needs. When the right lotion is applied, it can also provide you with a great mental boost while you're giving your overworked hands a well-deserved break.
Hand Lotion and Normal Skin
Normal hand skin isn't as tricky or as complicated as the skin on your face, so you have a lot of versatility when it comes to choosing your hand lotion. Find a product which isn’t too greasy because normal skin really doesn’t need thick emollients like dry, sensitive, or aging skin tend to require. Instead, look for lotions which are glycerin-based since they performs well when it comes to preventing moisture loss.
There are also lotions infused with essential oils which can calm, invigorate, and soothe skin during application. Have fun experimenting with different oils such as sandalwood, sage, ginger, pomegranate, and lemon to see which works best for you.
Hand Lotions and Oily Skin
It may seem a bit strange applying hand lotion to oily skin since you might think adding more moisture seems like a bad idea when it’s really the opposite. In general, oily skin is prone to rapid moisture loss since the pores tend to be a bit larger. However, you still need to ensure a proper moisture balance to prevent oily skin from becoming dry, flaky, are irritated.
Individuals with oily skin often complain about feeling “dirty” and this can lead to frequent hand washing which can prevent skin from generating its own natural moisture balance. If you’re someone with oily skin, you want to look for lotions formulated with balancing ingredients which keep skin from losing moisture like aloe, melon, cucumber, bergamot, as well as refreshing citrus oils and extracts.
Scented Hand Lotions
If you suffer from fragrance allergies, then you’ll need to be careful when selecting a hand lotion as many companies sneak in added fragrances to make the product more attractive to the buyer. Keep in mind that hands with cracked, blistered skin should always use a fragrance-free hand lotion until skin heals since lotions infused with alcohol/essential oil-based fragrances can burn and sting open cuts.
Most hand lotions contain rich scents weather they are derived from essential oils or other ingredients. Try and find a hand lotion with formulated with moisturizing ingredients which give off a “natural” scent. For example, cocoa butter has a natural chocolate fragrance but is perfectly safe as long as there aren't added alcohol-based fragrance used to “enhance” the natural cocoa smell.
Other naturally derived moisturizers include aloe which has a light mild fragrance and is a great for use on ultra sensitive skin. There’s also Shea butter which can be a bit of a hit or miss depending on the plant it was derived from; you can get something which smells a bit nutty and refreshing or a tad like motor oil.
Drugstore Hand Lotions
You don’t necessarily need to spend a ton of money in order to reap the benefits of a quality hand lotion In fact, some of the most popular, effective hand lotions can be found right in your local drugstore at a fraction of the cost of more expensive brands. This allows you to stock up on effective moisturizers for less, stash these lotions wherever you like, and save the pricier, high end options for when you really need them.
Hand Lotions for Dry/Aging Skin
Choosing a hand lotion for dry/aging skin is fairly easy as long as you know what ingredients to avoid and what ingredients work best to lock in moisture. You defiantly should avoid heavily scented products that use alcohol-based fragrances as they can possibly dry out skin more, causing redness and/or irritation.
If you simply must have a scented moisturizer, simply find one which uses essential and/or plant-based oils to scent the product. Chamomile extract, any ingredients which are oat-based, or even rich fruits like avocado and aloe, will help sooth and heal skin. Citrus oils, and other natural fruit based extracts are also good in small amounts to give skin tone a healthy boost.
Lotions formulated with “magical” ingredients like argon, coconut, or olive oils are known for their moisturizing properties and work wonders to repair cracked, dry skin. During the winter months, look for products containing calendula as this ingredient prevents moisture loss as well as keeping skin protected from cold/wind-related damage.
How to Spot a Suitable Hand Lotion
There is a huge difference in hand lotions considered the “best” versus sub-par products. Products manufactured using cheaper ingredients have a tendency to use alcohol based fragrances and other cheaper oils to create the illusion of rich scent and texture.
While these lotions smell great, they’ll trick you into thinking they’re good for your skin. In reality, your skin will become addicted to the moisture in the product while the alcohol slowly leaches out the natural moisture skin needs thus leading you to apply more lotion.
Look for basic, quality ingredients which should be listed among the first five or so on the product label. As a good rule of thumb, if you have a hard time pronouncing any of the ingredients listed within the first few lines of the product's ingredient column, then you’re better off skipping it.